Why no one cares about your Photography - Sean Tucker

[greybeard]

It comes down to why you take pictures in the 1st place. Are you taking them to please yourself or to please others. I know that I take them in the 1st place to please myself and post in the hopes of others liking them. Am I disappointed when no one likes or comments on them? Sure, but I still shoot to please myself because I don't know of any other way. This is why I am an armature and always will be.

 

[ACHILLEAS]

Achilleas, what does it tell you when "Mediocre Crap" does well and yours does not? Basically. you brought a stagecoach to a NASCAR race. You may be the world's best stagecoach driver, but the people there (judges) do not care.

I am trying to understand your analogy. Is that the stagecoach is slower or that is different? So I think I am better than I really am? or my style does not fit with the judges?

 

[ACHILLEAS]

It comes down to why you take pictures in the 1st place. Are you taking them to please yourself or to please others. I know that I take them in the 1st place to please myself and post in the hopes of others liking them. Am I disappointed when no one likes or comments on them? Sure, but I still shoot to please myself because I don't know of any other way. This is why I am an armature and always will be.

It was therapeutic to me. I did not go out much. It started just for me but then I needed validation. I got over it now. No stress to be liked when you shoot only for yourself.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

My point was even if you are the best at what you do, athletics, photography, music etc. there is no reason to believe that others will see it as important.

I do lots of things, including old time banjo, amateur radio, view camera photographs with a 1909 Senaca 4x5 camera I inherited; I even build English style Long Bows for traditional archery competition.

I find all of the tinkering and learning is very fulfilling, but I know the impact on others folk, is often, a strange "that's weird" look. Occasionally, I will meet a fellow hobbyist, which is fun. However, except on the internet, I have yet to meet a photographer, who thinks that dragging a tripod, camera, lenses, exposure meter, film holders, dark cloth and focusing on an upside-down reversed image, just to take a picture, is worth the effort.

I know that if I have to explain it, they wouldn't understand anyway. So, It doesn't matter, I find it to be quite rewarding, while other enjoy sitting behind a monitor and post-processing digital. Photography is a big tent.

 

[John 2]

Sometimes all it needs is a break. I haven't posted for some time because my enthusiasm took a dive but I retrieved a decent communications receiver (NRD-535) that had been languishing in the loft, with a view to putting it on ebay. The trouble was that I plugged it in and I now have an aerial farm at the bottom of the garden. That however, will fallout of favour at some stage and I will be back taking photographs particularly as the holiday season approaches. Lesson? Like grandpa Ron, don't limit your self to one interest. What goes around comes around.

 

[The Barbarian]

Most of the time when I comment I try and give at least one reason I like the photo. Maybe I could do better too.

Yes. Even if there's something you don't like, most people will listen if you are respectful and positive. I had a photo club in my school, and when kids brought in their submissions, I always tried to find something positive to say about their work. But what's important is to talk specifically as to what you saw in the image.

And yes, you'll be happiest if you do images to please yourself. No one buys prints anymore.

 

[smoke665]

No one buys prints anymore

Don't if it's the fact that I'm spending more time in Dr's offices or I'm more observing but around here I've seen a lot of prints of local landscapes decorating lobbies and rooms.

 

[cgw]

Find a niche and work it. I sold car prints from several summers' worth of cruise nights around Toronto. Focus was on details, industrial design, color, abstract elements--never whole car shots available via a quick Google search. Exactly what no one did often caught attention--the second and prolonged third look matter. Example? Look at my "Old Iron" in the Automotive forum. My old mantra: "Art without commerce is a hobby." Photography is a hobby for me--most of the time!

 

[Grandpa Ron]

CGW you nailed it. "Art without commerce is a hobby".

One of the drawbacks of being a "professional" photographer is you "shoot what sells" not what you like. I cannot think of a more boring past time for me, but Wedding photography sells.

The photographic gear at the last wedding I attended looked like a major movie production. Two photographers non-stop, but they were surprisingly non-intrusive and not distracting. These folk knew their craft.

 

[The Barbarian]

Find a niche and work it.

Yes. I did athletic shots for people. You get lots of stuff for high school and select soccer teams, but not so much for younger kids. I would go to games, tell the coach that I would like to shoot some action shots, and later, if the parents were interested, they could purchase the images. My pitch was that I wouldn't keep the images in storage unless they asked me to do so; I would provide the digital image, giving them complete control over the images. And since I was selling the images, not prints, they were free to make as many prints as they'd like. I'd mention that I would be willing to supply prints, but they could get the same online sources I use, without paying my mark-up.

But it got old. I never knew when some entitled parent would be saying "you took more shots of the other kids, than you took of mine!" So I gave it up.

 

[greybeard]

Yes. I did athletic shots for people. You get lots of stuff for high school and select soccer teams, but not so much for younger kids. I would go to games, tell the coach that I would like to shoot some action shots, and later, if the parents were interested, they could purchase the images. My pitch was that I wouldn't keep the images in storage unless they asked me to do so; I would provide the digital image, giving them complete control over the images. And since I was selling the images, not prints, they were free to make as many prints as they'd like. I'd mention that I would be willing to supply prints, but they could get the same online sources I use, without paying my mark-up.

But it got old. I never knew when some entitled parent would be saying "you took more shots of the other kids, than you took of mine!" So I gave it up.

I did that for a while too. It was fun for a while back in the day. I would not even consider it today as parents are just too crazy.

 

[SunriseAvenue]

That was very interesting to watch and I agree with people saying at the end of the day it's all about why are you taking pictures and whether you're doing it for yourself or to please others. I've met photographers who work with families mostly, so lots of Christmas and newborn photoshoots, and when someone doesn't exactly love what they're doing it really shows. On the other hand, amateur photographers who shoot for the sole pleasure of it are out there with their smartshow 3d slideshows and collages of landscape pictures and their works are full of life, even if the technical side is not that professional.

 

[KJ_North]

Interesting. I thought his comments on character vs personality relate to more than just photography.

But it also got me questioning why I post here. I'm not a big social media person and this is the only place I post my photos. I shot mostly to pleas myself and post here mostly to get critique. Sadly, there is not much of that. Mostly you get "likes" or comments like "great shot". The other reason is for the community. But it is hard to build community if you are not giving the likes and comments, an interesting conundrum. Most of the time when I comment I try and give at least one reason I like the photo. Maybe I could do better too.

SOme great comments. As an amature i would personally love more feedback/suggestions as to what to try differently next time etc. It helps people like myself then think outside the box.

 

[Golem]

SOme great comments. As an amature i would personally love more feedback/suggestions as to what to try differently next time etc. It helps people like myself then think outside the box.

If you want to think (and see) "outside the box" refrain from viewing the work of those who you consider to be mentors or masters. Few if any of them achieve that status by working outside the box. Consider all your rejections to be your blue ribbons.

I dont think I can link the forum to my phone, therefor images are posted.
.

.

.

.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Golem, defiantly outside the box thinking. Very clever shots.